Now, you might be thinking that that is certainly an unusual passage for the first Sunday of Advent.

What is Advent all about?

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is preparation to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ in His First Advent.

What did all of those names in the genealogy of Jesus have in common?

If they were good Jews and know the Old Testament they were waiting for the arrival of the Messiah!

Now look again at the genealogy.

Especially think about the time of King David and King Solomon when Israel was at its pinnacle of power. Were they looking for a Messiah? Were they looking for someone to redeem Israel?

Probably not. In a time of prosperity we tend to forget about such things.

When we’re physically cared for we tend to take spirituality for granted.

Many people pray during a heart attack who seldom or never prayed before.

In Revelation 3:17 we see Jesus speaking to the church in Laodicea when He says,

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

Now, look at the kings after Josiah. Josiah was the last righteous king over any part of Israel. (Judah had been a part of Israel.)

After Josiah all of Israel is crushed in exile.

Do you wonder if Jeconiah and Shealtiel and Zerubbabel and Abihud and Eliakim and Azor and Zadok and Akim and Elihud and Eleazar and Matthan and Jacob and Joseph had all been looking for the Messiah, the Redeemer of Israel to appear and rescue them? I am sure some of them were …

But He did not come. So, they waited and waited and waited …

This is what the Advent season is all about, waiting … anticipation …hope …

“Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.”

Waiting and Faith Go Hand-In-Hand

We hate to wait, don’t we???

What's the longest you've had to wait for something?

I imagine almost everyone has a memory of Christmas Eve as a child; squeezing your eyes shut, trying with all your might to go to sleep on Christmas Eve. For those of you with orthodox parents, you knew that even opening one present before Christmas morning was akin to high heresy.

Our family was very different. We would open our presents on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas Eve we would pile into the car and head the four or five miles to Grandma Char’s and Gramp’s house where we would open more presents.